This game features the struggling 76ers facing off against a strong Celtics team.

The 76ers are 2-2 in their last 4, while Boston is red hot going 9-1 in their last 10.

The Celtics have won both of the games in the season series and 10 in a row overall.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers have struggled all season long up until recently, and are in prime position to get a high lottery pick when the season ends. A poorly built roster decimated by injuries will have a tough task in this game.

Promising young big man Joel Embiid has missed the last 7 games for PHiladelphia. During that span the Sixers have gone 4-3 with a 3 game winning streak.

Embiid is clearly a franchise star in the making, but his absence will be felt on both ends of the floor. He has been one of the best young scorers in the league and can put up a double double on any given night.

With Embiid out until at least after the All Star break, look for Nerlens Noel and rookie Dario Saric to man the center position.

Both young big men bring different styles to the table, but should have no trouble dominating in the post.

Robert Covington has stepped up nicely in Embiid’s absence. He has scored 17 or more in 5 of the 7 games, and is shooting 46% from the floor in those five games.

Covington has also been great on the glass picking up 5 rebounds in the win against Charlotte Monday night.

He’s going up against Al Horford and the Celtics front line, so I don’t expect a strong performance tonight.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are red hot, and are loudly becoming the biggest obstacle for Lebron and the Cavs to get to the finals for a third straight year. Led by All Star guard Isaiah Thomas, Boston’s offense has ratcheted things up a notch with their efficient play.

Thomas’ scoring has been on an amazing display during this 9-1 run. He has scored 26 or more in 9 of the 10 games for a healthy 33.6 points per game. He hasn’t been an over the top volume shooter either, making nearly 40% of his 3 pointers during this stretch.

Aside from the scoring Thomas has kept his assist to turnover ratio down as well. He shouldn’t have any issues against Sergio Rodriguez and the Sixers backcourt, so expecting another 30 point, 8 assist performance by Thomas.

Jae Crowder missed two games for personal reasons before returning to the lineup Monday night against Dallas, but his scoring impact wasn’t felt on the game. Crowder is a talented two way player, but was only able to put up 10 points and grab 4 rebounds before fouling out.

The 76ers will likely have Covington guarding him most of the game so expect Crowder to break out of this recent scoring slump.

Even though Boston won pretty easily against the Mavs, a number of Celtics struggled to score, including Al Horford. He was quiet most of the game finishing with only 11 points on 5-12 shooting with 5 rebounds.

Although he is a little older Horford can still take over a game when called upon.

NBA Betting Trends:

76ers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.

76ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.

Over is 8-2 in Celtics last 10 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

Over is 4-1 in Celtics last 5 vs. NBA Atlantic.

Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Boston.

Free Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics NBA Prediction:

The matchup against Nerlens Noel will be a tough one due to Noel’s athleticism on the defensive end, but Horford should break out of this slump and put up 16 points and 11 rebounds on the night.

4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Boston ATS

The Celtics will win this one easily as Thomas dominates in the fourth.

NBA Free Score Prediction: Boston 119 – Philadelphia 103

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About Darrelle Thompson

New to Cappers Picks and ready to make his followers some serious gambling money! Darrelle has been watching football for 25 years and like some of our other writers is the biggest Ohio State fan, even though he's from West Texas. Originally from New York he made the correct predictions of Urban Meyer leaving Florida for Ohio State, and that betting against UMass their first year in FBS would bring back serious green for all bettors. You have to treat college football like the Price is right! Bet OVER the highest bid and you'll make money!

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